Vacuum cleaner



Sept. 12, 1933. w. J. CLEMENTS 1,926,370

VACUUM CLEANER Filed June 29, 1931 Patented Sept. 12, 1933 UNITED STATES VACUUM CLEANER William J. Clements, Chicago, Ill., minor to Clements Mfg. Co., Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application June 29, 1931. Serial No. 547,508

3 Claims. (01. 15-8) My invention relates to an improvement in vacuum cleaners and has for one purpose the provision of a vacuum cleaner having an improved suction nozzle. Another object is to pro- 5 vide a cleaner particularly adapted to beating or sweeping a carpet while the carpet is suctionally upwardly drawn from the floor surface. Another object is the provision of means for preventing complete sealing of the carpet against the edges of the suction inlet or nozzle. Other objects will appear in the course of the specification and claims.

I illustrate my invention more or less diagrammatically in the accompanying drawing, wherein Figure 1 is a side elevation;

Figure 2 is a section on an enlarged scale along the line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a view from below of the suction nozzle illustrating the parts shown in Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a section along the line 4-4 of Figure 2; and

Figure 5 is a section along the line 5-5 of Figure 2.

Referring to the drawing, A generally indicates a motor housing in which any suitable motor, not herein shown in detail may be positioned. It is diagrammatically shown in dotted line as at A in Figure 1.

B generally indicates a fan casing which may be screwed to or otherwise secured to one of the motor casings, as by the screws B It is provided with an exhaust outlet B to which may be secured any suitable dirt receiving bag B of air pervious material.

The forward face of the fan chamber or housing B is apertured to receive the suction inlet structure generally indicated as C. It may include a projection C extending forwardly from the fan casing, and a nozzle structure C connected with the member C as by the neck The nozzle proper, C is herein shown as terminating in a generally horizontal lower lip on the edge 0*. The shape of this lip or edge may be widely varied but may conveniently be made to lie in a single horizontal plane.

In order to support the vacuum cleaner movably upon the floor surface I may employ rollers or wheels D mounted for rotation about axes fixed in relation to the fan chamber B. I may mount them for example upon the abutments D In the form herein shown I illustrate a rear supporting roller D rotatably mounted upon the adjustment link D which in turn is rotatably mounted as at D upon a bracket D extending rearwardly from the motor housing A. D indicates any suitable adjusting screw with the finger piece D whereby the link D may be rotated to adjust the height of the roller D and thus to adjust the height of the lip C of the 30 nozzle 0 I have illustrated the structure above described as a ready means for adjusting the height of the nozzle. It will be realized that other suitable means might be employed.

Rotatably mounted within the nozzle C is a brush body E with the bristles E herein shown as spirally arranged about the brush body. E indicates a pulley about which passes the driving belt E E is a driving pulley, about which passes the upper bend of the belt E It may be mounted upon the extension shaft E which extends forwardly from the fan B and rotates in unison therewith in response to rotation of the rotor of the motor A E are bearing brackets for the bearings E for the opposite ends of the brush body E, which receive the terminal ends E of the shaft or shafts upon which the brush body E is mounted.

G indicates a guard structure including the side members G and the transversal arcuate members G I illustrate three of these members G as aligned with the pulley E to prevent the carpet J from being sucked against pulley and belt. I may employ any suitable means for supporting the guard member in the position shown in the drawing. I show for example a plurality of fixed inwardly projecting studs or lugs G and one or more removable supporting means G herein shown as a set screw. Longitudinal movement of the guard is prevented as by the members G Rotatably mounted at the ends of the nozzle C are the rollers H which may be mounted for example upon shafts H extending between the ends of the nozzle and the intermediate brackets 11 The rollers are preferably freely rotatable in response to frictional contact with the carpet, to prevent wear. Preferably the lowest portion of the roller extends downwardly below the lower edge or lip C* of the nozzle. Under some circumstances it will be desirable or at least practical to have the .rollers H engage the carpet J when it is on thesupporting surface. However, I prefer to space the rollers I-I somewhat above the supporting surface. In either case theresult is to provide positive means for breaking the sealibetween the carpet and the lower edge of the nozzle which would otherwise result from the application of the suction to the carpet. As shown for example in Figures 2 and no 4. the suction exerted by the fan 13 sucks the carpet upwardly toward the brush body E. Its upward movement is limited by the lip C and also by the transversal guard members G". Where the carpet is so sealed against the movement, the air is first sucked downwardly through the carpet at a point exterior to the nozzle, and is then sucked upwardly through the carpet into the nozzle. I find it desirable to cause ,a flow of air across the upper surface of the carpet, between the carpet and the edge of the nozzle, and to break the seal between nozzle and carpet. I may employ any suitable means for breaking this seal, but I illustrate the rollers herein shown as a convenient means of obtaining my desired result. The air rushes in above the carpet at the ends of the nozzle to scour across the top of the carpet. This provides a ready means for picking up small particles, such as bits of thread, which would otherwise have difliculty in passing beneath the edge of the nozzle when such edge is in sealed relation with the carpet or rug.

It will be noted also that the arcuate guards G constrain the carpet to a more or less arcuate shape, across the arc of which the tips of the bristles of the brush sweep. While the arc of the members (3 need not be made precisely concentric with the are described by the bristle tips, none the less the arcuate disposition of the carpet increases the acceleration of the brushing action.

It will be realized that whereas I have described and shown a practical and operative device, nevertheless many changes may be made in size, shape, number and disposition of parts without departing from the spirit of my invention. I, therefore, wish my description and drawing to be taken as in a broad sense illustrative or diagrammatic, rather than as limiting me to my precise showing herein. The present application is a continuation in part of co-pending application 468,313, filed on July 16, 1930.

I claim:

'1. In a vacuum cleaner, a motor and a housing therefor, a fan actuated by said motor and a fan chamber therefor having an air inlet passage and air outlet passage, a suction nozzle associated with said inlet passage and means for maintaining the lower edges of said suction nozzle spaced upwardly from the surface to be caused by rotation of the fan, including members downwardly projecting below the edge 01' the nozzle, such members terminating above the normal floor level, and being spaced laterally inwardly from the edge of the nozzle and the ends of the nozzle, whereby air may flow between the said members and the opposed portions of the nozzle edge.

2. In a vacuum cleaner, a motor and a housing therefor, a fan actuated by said motor and a fan chamber therefor having an air inlet passage and an air outlet passage, a suction nozzle associated with said inlet passage and means for maintaining the lower edges of said suction nozzle spaced upwardly from the surface to be cleaned, a brush rotatably positioned within said suction nozzle, means for rotating it in response to rotation of the motor, and means for breaking the sealing relationship between a carpet and the edges of the nozzle otherwise resulting from the suction caused by rotation of the fan, including rollers positioned at the ends of the nozzle, said rollers extending downwardly below the plane of the nozzle and being spaced upwardly from the floor.

3. In a vacuum cleaner, a motor and a housing therefor, a fan actuated by said motor and a fan chamber therefor having an air inlet passage and air outlet passage, a suction nozzle associated with said inlet passage and means for maintaining the lower edges of said suction nozzle spaced upwardly from the surface to be cleaned, a brush rotatably positioned within said suction nozzle, and means for rotating it in response to rotation of the motor, and means for breaking the sealing relationship between a carpet and the edges of the nozzle otherwise resulting from the suction caused by rotation of the fan, including rollers rotatably mounted within and adjacent the ends of the nozzle said rollers extending downwardly below the plane of the nozzle and. being spaced upwardly from the floor.

WILLIAM J. CLEMENTS. 

